The city of Mandurah takes its name from the Aboriginal word ‘Mandjoogoordap’ which means meeting place of the heart. With an abundance of shopping, dining, nature and water-based activities on offer, increasing numbers of Western Australians are choosing Mandurah not only to ‘meet up’ and spend time with family and friends, but to build a home, community and entire way of life. Mandurah boasts bustling construction, trade and retail industries making it a popular spot for local tradies and retail employees to set up camp but, thanks to considerable investment in road and rail networks, it’s also a mere 50 minutes from central Perth. Despite being officially regarded as a ‘regional’ centre, this easy trip into Perth’s CBD by train or car also makes Mandurah a viable home town for city commuters.
A sprawling city encompassing the suburbs of Madora Bay in the north right through to Clifton in the South, Mandurah is almost entirely surrounded by water. So, whether you’re considering building a cosmopolitan townhouse, suburban sanctuary or luxury canal home, you’ll find you’re never far away from all that Mandurah’s coastal lifestyle has to offer. Once predominantly a holiday destination, a regular and growing influx of sea changers has seen Mandurah evolve into WA’s second largest city. This steady growth in population, infrastructure and amenities has meant Mandurah is enjoying continued appeal as a place to live, work and play among couples, families and retirees alike. As Mandurah-based, boutique home builders specialising in creating bespoke new home designs, we’ve put together some useful information for people contemplating building a new home in Mandurah.
Something for Everyone
Originally established in 1829 by Thomas Peel and a small group of European settlers, Mandurah had its early roots in fruit farming and fishing. The early years of the town were characterised by slow growth, partly due to the poor road infrastructure which made it a four-hour journey from Perth. Over the years, with the development of better road and rail networks, Mandurah started to attract more and more tourists who were lured in by its many beaches, estuaries and, of course the opportunity to ensnare a blue manna crab or two! The Mandurah Shire Council was officially established in 1961 and, following rapid growth throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s, Mandurah was upgraded to town status in 1987, followed by city status in 1990. These early periods of predominantly farming, fishing and tourism-based growth, coupled with a more recent urban sprawl over the last couple of decades, have meant that there are wide variety of options for people looking to build a new home in Mandurah. Now boasting a population over 85,000 people, whether you’re looking for an absolute water front block, an affordable suburban lot or a semi-rural estate on which to build your new home, you’ll find Mandurah offers a diverse range of possibilities across all budgets.
Living the Dream
Aside from the obvious appeal of the vast stretches of Indian Ocean coastline, Mandurah offers the opportunity to enjoy an array of water-based activities across the spectacular Mandurah Estuary and Peel Inlet. Spanning an area twice the size of Sydney Harbour, this freshwater system forms the centre of Mandurah and is a cornerstone of the laidback, coastal lifestyle afforded to both tourists and locals. If you like spending your free time boating, fishing, crabbing, swimming or surfing, there’s a lot to convince you that building your new home in Mandurah is a great lifestyle choice. In addition to water-based activities, Mandurah accommodates a wide variety of other recreational pastimes throughout its wetlands, national parks, zoos, golf courses, tourist railway and even its own miniature village. For families with young children, there’s an abundance of parks, playgrounds, family-friendly beaches and idyllic picnic spots in which to keep the littlies active and entertained. Considered the unofficial gateway to the Southwest, Mandurah is also ideal for exploring the southern coastline and for taking in all that the Margaret River wine and gourmet food trails have to offer. With a list of local attractions straight out of a holiday brochure, building your new home in Mandurah really is like creating a holiday lifestyle you can enjoy every day of the year.
Who is Building New Homes in Mandurah?
Mandurah’s broad ranging appeal spanning everyone from young, single surfers through to families and retirees has resulted in a vibrant and diverse local vibe. The fact that it is far enough away from Perth affords the area its own, unique identity as well as a small-town, community feel. Families looking to lay down roots in Mandurah will find it inclusive, neighbourly and relatively easy to establish a sense of community, when compared with the hustle and bustle of Perth. It also offers a decent selection of both public and private schools. With a mixture of small and affordable blocks through to expansive, water-front allotments, the dream of building a new home in Mandurah is achievable for people with a wide range of budgets. The bulk of land across Mandurah is still genuinely affordable and whilst the cheapest blocks may not buy water views, a vast majority of the area is either a short stroll or brisk walk from the water’s edge. If you’re at the luxury end of the budget spectrum, you’ll find the many Venetian-style canal developments are perfect for building an opulent new dream-house.
Local Amenities and Dining
When it comes to shopping, there’s not much you can’t access in Mandurah. The foreshore and Mandurah Central areas form the town’s CBD and comprise an array of supermarkets, specialty shops, car dealerships and services. The picturesque eastern foreshore is also home to the delightful Mandjar Markets which operate on Sunday mornings from October to May. With a wide variety of locally made arts, crafts and gourmet foods, the markets also feature live entertainment, children’s activities and themed celebrations throughout the season. Just up the road, on the corner of Mandurah and Pinjarra Road, you’ll find the area’s premier shopping destination; Mandurah Forum. The Forum is a recently redeveloped shopping mall featuring a wide selection of specialty shops as well as K-Mart and David Jones. In addition to shopping facilities in the CBD and Forum, Mandurah is also well serviced by a number of smaller retail villages around Greenfields, Meadow Springs, Halls Head and Falcon. When it comes to eating out, Mandurah offers a broad selection of options encompassing everything from casual eats at popular haunts like the Brighton Hotel, cheap and cheerful take-aways and boardwalk cafes right through to fine, waterfront dining at eateries such as Redmanna restaurant.
As far as other, everyday amenities, Mandurah has its own local hospital as well as many excellent medical centres and allied health professionals. Mandurah train station provides easy access to Perth’s CBD which is a pleasant 50-minute train ride away and the entire area is well serviced by buses. So, for anything you can’t obtain in Mandurah, you can be in and out of the city in just a few hours. Throughout the year, Mandurah hosts a variety of annual events including the famous Crab Fest which is widely considered one of Western Australia’s premier tourism events. There’s also a world class performing arts centre and cinema complex to satisfy lovers of the arts. Last but not least, let’s not forget the multi-million-dollar Mandurah Ocean Marina development which is home to over 300 boat pens, complete marina services, luxury accommodation, a shopping precinct, playground, BBQ facilities and a family-friendly swimming beach.
With plenty to keep people of all ages suitably fed, watered and entertained, Mandurah house builders have a lot to love about their decision to create a life here.
Architecture Styles
Despite its history dating back to the early 1820’s, most of Mandurah’s heritage style properties are confined to churches, pubs, museums and other commercial buildings dotted in and around the CBD. The area’s residential character is defined by a broad mix of
original post-modern houses, 1970’s and 80’s duplexes as well as an ever-evolving abundance of contemporary, architecturally designed new home builds and canal developments. With some parts of Mandurah still regarded as quite affordable, many residents choose to purchase a vacant lot under one of the many land releases or purchase an older property with a view to demolishing and building a new modern home. With a wide variety of land sizes available, including canal-side allotments, true water front living is achievable for all sorts of new home builders spanning empty nesters right through to large families.
The more affluent parts of Mandurah, such as Halls Head, feature an abundance of multi-million-dollar mansions encompassing a wide variety of architectural styles including everything from French provincial through to coastal chic. Regardless of style, most homes along the canals feature expansive balconies and oversized windows to take advantage of the water views.
Because much of the newer parts of Mandurah are quite high density, if you’re considering building a new home, it’s important to partner with a reputable new home builder who has the skills and experience to incorporate all your functional needs into your new house design whilst maximising your privacy and capitalising on the available outlooks.
New Home Designs in Mandurah
Similar to the up-market Port Coogee development, many new home builders in Mandurah are taking design leads from the high-end new builds that characterise areas such as Halls Head, Wannanup, Dawesville and Dudley Park. Unlike Port Coogee, however, new home builders in Mandurah are not subject to as stringent design specifications. This enables residents to put far more of their own spin on their new home design and select colours, materials, textures and architectural styles that are truly reflective of their personal tastes.
Being a coastal location, regardless of individual style, most new home builders opt for low maintenance construction materials capable of weathering the salty air and often harsh WA conditions over the long-term without too much upkeep. Large balconies, decks and outdoor entertainment spaces are also very popular and enable residents to bring more of the local, holiday vibe into their own homes. Those with water views naturally choose to make the most of their stunning outlooks by incorporating plenty of oversized windows into their new home’s design.
Building Materials in Mandurah
As we’ve mentioned, because most of Mandurah is not subject to stringent design guidelines like those imposed on new home builders in Port Coogee, you’ll find a wide range of building materials across new constructions in this area. Homes are generally constructed from concrete blocks and then rendered or completed from a diverse range of burnt clay bricks, limestone blocks, rock walls or stack stone. Overall colours tend to favour a neutral palette and there is widespread use of texture, Mediterranean design elements and coastal influences. Landscaped spaces are designed to be low maintenance and include lots of palms, conifers and other plants that are reflective of Mandurah’s coastal location.
Whilst most new home builders are not required to adhere to specific design guidelines, all new builds must still comply with the Mandurah Building Commission’s R-codes and regulations. When building a new home in Mandurah, it’s a good idea to work with a reputable local builder, like D.A. Burke, who has plenty of experience working with the local council. Thorough knowledge of the area’s building regulations, as well as the process involved with obtaining permits, will help ensure your new home is designed within the parameters of local regulations and will not be subject to any unnecessary delays in the issuing of permits.
What’s Next?
If you’ve decided to build your new home in Mandurah, WA’s second largest city and one of the state’s fastest growing coastal playgrounds, it’s time to start thinking about who to trust with the design and construction of your most valuable asset. Building a new home can be daunting but ensuring you do your homework, and choose a reputable and experienced builder, will help make the process a lot less stressful. Opting for a smaller, boutique builder, will also help ensure you’re able to design your home specifically for your needs and lifestyle as well as your budget. With over 40 years’ experience designing and building custom homes right throughout Mandurah and Perth’s south coast, at D.A. Burke we would welcome the opportunity to help make your new Mandurah dream home a reality.
D.A. Burke specialise in designing and building fully customised homes. Working closely with our clients, we limit the number of projects we take on each year to really enable us to get to know our clients and understand their needs. We take care of the entire design, engineering, permit application and construction process to deliver seamless and professionally managed projects for our clients. As a family owned business with an outstanding reputation for quality and service, we go the extra mile to make our clients’ new home construction journeys as stress-free and enjoyable as possible.
Collaborating with highly qualified Designers who are experienced designing new homes spanning a wide range of budgets, all our projects are created for optimal quality, functionality and aesthetic appeal. And, being custom builders, our clients benefit from dealing directly with the Directors of the business, who are also the Builders, from concept through to completion. We offer highly competitive pricing as well as fully transparent and itemised quotes, so our clients have a clear understanding of the costs associated with designing and building their new home. With 5-star reviews across Google, Facebook and Houzz, we create exceptional quality homes delivered with friendly and personalised service.
Contact D.A. Burke to discuss building your new home in Mandurah today.